Much of the building will be in London's commuter belt, with schemes identified in Welwyn Garden City and St Albans.

The retail giant said the move was in response to changing customer shopping habits that will mean fewer superstores.

The spokesman said: 'We have decided to reduce the amount of new store space we build each year, building fewer large stores. Where we no longer intend to develop sites, we sell them, lease them or develop them for housing.'

The plans follow criticism of the retailer for hoarding land in the UK on which an estimated 15,000 homes could be built.